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Skip to Weathers feature introduction.

Understanding the Symbols

Watch and listen to the latest World and UK weather broadcasts
BBC Broadcast Meteorologist Carol Kirkwood gives a weather forecast using a BBC Weather chart and symbols.
BBC Weather uses different symbols for day and night, and variations of different symbols, depending on severity.

Team Biographies
 

 

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View a video celebrating BBC Weather's last 50 years
View a video tour of the BBC Weather Centre
More about BBC Weather

Today's Broadcasting Team
Scheduled Broadcasts
50 Years of TV Weather
About BBC Weather Centre
Producing Weather Broadcasts
Radio Weather Broadcasts
Technological Advancements
Graphics
Where Can I Find Weather
Environmental Indices
Our Weather Symbols
Wind Arrows
Understanding Pressure Charts
Flood Warnings
Weather Warnings

Michael Fish Retires



The weather symbols are based on the codes that the Met Office use to classify types of weather but simplified to a set suitable for forecast graphics.

The symbols used by the BBC Weather Centre are designed by our own team of graphic designers, and relate to all eventualities of meteorology.

There are different symbols for day and night, and variations of different symbols, depending on severity. For example, there are a number of symbols which indicate snow, depending on how heavily it is falling.

Explanation of the Symbols used on the BBC Weather Centre website:

Clear and Bright
Clear sky (at night) Clear sky (at night)
Sunny day Sunny day
Partly cloudy (at night) Partly cloudy (at night)
Sunny intervals Sunny intervals

Dark and Rainy
Black, low level cloud Black, low level cloud
Light rain shower (at night) Light rain shower (at night)
Drizzle
Light rain (day and night)
Light rain shower Light rain shower
Heavy rain shower (night) Heavy rain shower (night)
Heavy rain
Heavy rain shower Heavy rain shower

Hail and Snow
Sleet shower (night) Sleet shower (night)
Cloudy with sleet
Sleet shower Sleet shower
Hail shower Hail shower
Hail shower (night)Hail shower (night)
Hail
Light snow shower (night) Light snow shower (night)
Light snow
Light snow shower Light snow shower
Light snow
Heavy snow shower (night) Heavy snow shower (night)
Cloudy with heavy snow
Heavy snow shower Heavy snow shower

Thunder
Thundery shower (night) Thundery shower (night)
Thundery shower Thundery shower

Other Symbols
Sandstorm Sandstorm
Mist Mist
Fog Fog
Tropical Storm Tropical Storm
Mist Hazy





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